A busy day around the barn will help students at Community High School harvest skills for years to come.
The Rotary Club of Black Mountain and the Swannanoa Valley organized a volunteer day at the school last Saturday, to coincide with a $25,000 grant the club provided to the school’s horticulture program. The work includes refurbishing the barn and surrounding land damaged during Hurricane Helene.
“To have the Rotary Club reach out and offer to help with recovery just means everything,” said horticulture teacher Lewis Foote. “Our school and our students are better because of this display of generosity.”
Volunteers devoted much of their time to replacing railings on the barn and preparing it for use as an outdoor classroom.
“This program at Community High School is in line with several tenants of Rotary,” explained Andrew Mercurio, president of the Rotary Club of Black Mountain and the Swannanoa Valley. “It covers areas including food insecurity and helping kids learn job skills. It’s also a big morale boost for our community, which has been through so much in the last year.”
Mr. Foote met Mr. Mercurio and other Rotarians years ago when they were students at Warren Wilson College. He’s excited that this grant and day of service are only the beginning.
“I’m really excited for our ongoing partnership as well,” Mr. Foote shared. “The Rotary Club is committed to environmental sustainability and supporting career paths for students.”
The grant money includes new farming implements for the school’s horticulture program. Community partners including Lowe’s, Henson’s, Kubota of Asheville, We Haul, and Johnny’s Seeds also lent their support to the project.
